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Tsipras: EU policies led to UK setback

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras says the crisis caused by the British decision to leave the European Union was predictable because the EU has disregarded core principles of democracy for too long.

Tsipras has been at loggerheads with the EU leadership for well over a year as he has negotiated stringent austerity conditions to obtain bailout funds for his country. During those times he often decried the lack of openness of the EU.

Tsipras said coming into the EU summit Tuesday that "Europe has reached a predictable crisis because of the democratic deficit, because of the absence of social cohesion and solidarity."

He said he hoped "that the outcome of the British referendum will work as a wakeup call for Europe."

In a direct attack on EU policies, he said there was a need "to replace austerity with growth, to replace division with convergence, to replace unemployment with decent jobs and endless negotiations behind closed doors with transparency and democracy." [AP]